Control system for car heating



l April zo 1926.

F. SUNDAY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CARl HEATING Filed May 23,- 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 20,1926. 1,581,364 v F.lsuNDAY CONTROL SYSTEMFOR CAR HEATING Filled May 2 5; 1924 sheets-sheet 2 Patentedpr. 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK SUNDAY, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIGNoR or ONE-HAL: To CLAUDE M. RosA, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CAR HEATING.

Application led'May 23, 1924.

T o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK SUNDAY, a citizen of the'United States, residing' at Detroit, in the county ot l/'Tayne and State of liliichig'an, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Control Systems for Car Heating, of which the following is a specii'ication, reference being had `therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has reference to car heating` systems wherein the steam or similar valve cdecting' the admission and shutting oi of heating fluid to and from radiator coils, or other heating` equipment within a V car, is controlled electrically and preferably automatically through the medium ot` a.

thermostat. Many devices more or less successful liavebeen employed `from time `to time for such purposes, using` relayed currents Vwhich energized suitable motors :tor the opening` and closing of a Vsteam or other valve, vbut in such devices certain disadvantasjes have been apparent.

It very often occurs with steam or similar valves, that it -leit in open or closed position for a length of time, they have-an inclination to stick and thereby resist the effort to move them to such an extent that an excessive electrical strain is put upon the electric equipment or such equipment is taxed beyond its power to operate the valve. Thus, the automatic regulation or" heat within a car so equipped is unreliable and the temperature within such a car is permitted to rise or vtall to a much greater extent than the setting` of the thermostatic control callsfor.

Furthermore, in such devices it often occurs that by reason of their construction, oi` by reason of the electrical strain caused by the sticking` of the valves referred to, the thermostat is subjected to a current flow ot heavy amperage which results lin the burning up of the mercury make and break con tact, where such construction is employed, or causes arcing at the-contact points where the making and breakingY ofthe operating circuit occurs with consequent destructive effect which serious a'iect-s'the working'and reliability of the installation.

The objects of this invention are, therefore, to provide for the alleviation ofsu'ch disadvantages by the arrangement fofmeans adapted fto overcome the inertia Vof a valve which has a tendencyto ysticln-Qand further Serial No. 715,402.

to relieve the thermostat from destructive high amperage operatingcurrents.

Still 'further objects are to provide for double impulses in each operating direction to the valve opera-ting motor and to make use of momentum `in the valve actuator of the said motor in overcoming sticking of the valve; and still further yobjects subsidiary to or resulting from the aforesaid objects or trom the construction or operation of the invention as it may be carried into eiiect will become apparent as the said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.`

In carrying the said invention into'- effect, ,I may provide a system oi circuits including a thermostatically controlled relay circuit, a relay controlled circuit adapted to operate a two-wayswitch, and circuits associated with each of the rwaysof said switch effecting the operation of a motor yor motors in one er other direction tofopen or close a valve, each of the contacts of said two-way switch being` adapted to double closing of a circuit therethrough whereby two consecutive impulses are-applied to said motor through one or other of said circuits. I prefer to give greater mot-ion to the actuator forming part or" said motor than to the actuated lever of said valve, such excess motion being cnsured by said second impulse whereby upon 4the lirst impulse of said motor in the opposite direction. momentum in the actuator may be attained prior to its active enga-,freinent with Vthe valve operating lever. To still further attain and secure efliciency in the carryingout of such an arrangement- I may employ inl combination therewith, an electrically andmechanically controlled two- ;way switch of a special type. All-of which lis more particularly described and ascertainedhereinafter, by way Aof example, having; reference tothe accompanying drawings, .in `which Figure :l is a diagrammatic'illustration of said invention as embodied in a car heating system;

Figure 2 is a symbolic Adiagram ofthe thermostatically controlled circuit;

Figur-e3 is `asimilar,diagram of the vrelay controlledvalve timing switch circuit;

Figure 4' isf-a similar `diag-ram ofthe valve `openingy circuit,l and Figure. 5 is asimilarl diagram of the-.valse :closing circuit,l

-"niilar characters of reference indicato similar parts in the several ligures of the CLYSYlDQS.

1 and 2 indicate Wires connected with a source ot electrical eiufigy, the iv're 1 ente"- ing the base et a variable mercury thermostat 3, being an overload contact brcal Br and a i ance which may be shorted by a bridge 5 when the currentsupply does not call ttor a resistance as is Well understood in the art to which this invent ion appmv .aina

rlllie thermostat 8 includes contact points and 8 adapted to be closed by mercury at elative temperatures otl say, fifty degrees and seventy degrees of heat in the car to which the sggfstein is applied, according to the positioning ot the said points, the point S being` connected by a Wire 9 to the coil 10 ot' relay 11 and the contact 7 connected by Wiring' 12 to the said wire 9 through the medium of a selector switch 13 by means ot which a circuit through the Wire 12 may be closed or opened.

rlie particular mecnanisn ot the said switch 13 does not form a part ot this invention and is Woll lnovvn in tl e art so that it need not now be more particularly described herein except to say that the plunger 111 may be manually depressed to break a circuit through the Wire 12 to render the de vice inoperative at temperatures belovvv seventy degrees or similar operation or" the arid switch may be effected by the lifting ot' the piston 15 and striker 16 against the switch 13 by virtue oi air pressure in the line 17 when the cars in which the apparatus is used are in service.

18 and 19 represent the return vfires li'rom the coil 10 ot the relay 11 so it will be seen that upon the mercury making contact with the tcrn'iinal i", it the switch closed position illustrated, the ielaf,Y will be excited lifting the armature 2O thereoll and closing the circuit shown in Figure 3 Wherein the current )asses through the vvire 21, armature 20, contact 22, aire 23, solenoid coil 2t and return Wiring and 19. This in turn actuates' the solenoid core 26 at the upper end olv which is mounted a svvitch. comprising a trip member 2'? connected to the wire 2.7, which trip member is adapted to pa, consecutively over contact points 28 and 29, the spring nature ot said trip member causing it to break contact with. the said points very rapidly as it passes thereover,

in order to limit the speed at Which the said trip member passes from one to the other ot the said contact points and to insure an appreciable space, ot time between the contact With one and then the other, or the points, a dash pot 30 is shoivn at the lovver end ot the solenoid core, thesaid core being provided With a plunger 31 and a valve 32, which valve has a small leakage orifice 33 therein to permit the slow upward 13 be in theI lever actuators 38 each of which form the i Working parts of valve operating motors comprising solenoid coils 89- and 39a at opposite ends of said actuators 3 and o'lE which the said actuators are the cores.

These actuators 88 are provided with spaced abutments t0 and l1 situated on either side ot the outer ends of the levers E? in such relation thereto that there is a decided play of the ends ot the said levers between the abutments 40 and 4&1. `When the circuit. shown in Figure 3 is closed through the solenoid core 24 the trip member 27 comes into contact With the point 2S closing the circuit (Figure et) through Wires'll2, coil 39 and return Wire 19 causing the actuator or cores 3S to be moved in the direction oil' the coils 39 thereby bringing the abutments Ll() to their position furthest removed trom the end of the valve lever 37, and, as the trip lever continues to ascend, the trip member breaks contact with the point 28 following which contact is established with the point 29 thereby closing the circuit shown in Figure 5 through the Wire 43, coils 39 and return wire 19 and resultingin the moven'ient ot the cores 3S in the opposite or valve-closing direction.

It vcill be apparent that due to the iml nie `ately preceding' closing` ot the circuit (ligure the abutments l() are. in such position that some little movement of the core 38 is permitted after closing ot the circuit, (Figure 5), before the said abutments 11:0 strike the levers 87 and thus sufficient momentum in the said cores is secured to ei'lectively overcome any sticking ot the valves which might otherwise interfere With their operation. he double impulse dekcribed ensures the bringing ot the abutinents to a fully spaced9 preoperative posi4 tion in case the vibration of a car has caused any shitting ot' the valve after the operation in one or other direction.

fis long as the circuit (Figure 2) is maintained, that is to say, as long as the mercury is in contact With the point 8 of the thermostat, or in contact with the point 7 vrhen the switch 13 is closed, the trip member 27 Will remain raised above and outof Contact with the contact point 29 and the valves 35 will remain closed (to Which position they have been moved. by the preced- Jill ing contact of the trip member with the said point 29),.and upon the breaking of the said circuit and the consequentl breaking of the solenoid circuit (Figure 3), either by the dropping of the mercury below the point 8 when the switch 18 is open or below the point 7 when the said switch is closed, the core 26 will fall bringing the said trip member into contact with the point 29 for the second time and thereby moving or tending to move the said cores 38 again into their oil position, and thus ensuring the required spacing of the abutmems 4l from the valve levers 37 and consequent required momentum of the said cores S8 to overcome sticking of the valve, if such has taken place, this preparatory action taking place prior to the engagement of the said trip member in 'its continued downward movement with the contact point 28-and the consequent impelling of the cores 38 to their on position which is that shown in the said Figure l.

It will be seen that when the trip member 27 is in either its lowermost or uppermost position, the valves are turned on or olf respectively, and in these positions no current is being transmitted through the coils 39 or 89, so that upon the breaking of the circuit, Figure 2, through the thermostat, no heavy amperage arcs will be caused and liability of the thermostat to be burned is minimized.

It will also be apparent that, by the use of lost motion in the cores 38 to provide momentum for the purpose of overcoming sticking and inertia of the valves 35, another hitherto objectionable feature of electrically controlled heating system is reduced to a minimum.

An arrangement suchk as that suggested may be very simply constructed and of very positive operation, there being but few parts, none of which are liable to easily get out of order and all of which lend themselves to ready replacement if found necessary or desirable.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claims without departing from the essential features of the said invention and it is desired that the specification and claims be read as being merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense except as necessitated by the prior art.

What I claim is .1. In a car heating system, a valvea valve lever, and an electrically operated lever yactua-tor having a greater motion than said lever whereby momentum in said actuator is attained-prior to actuation of said lever, and means ensuring the electrical resetting of said lever in a position ensuring such momentum in the event of said lever having moved prior to its valve closing or opening operation.

2. A car heating system according to claim l, wherein said valve operating means is controlled by, an automatic controlling switch,

a valve opening contact, and a valve closing contact, said switch being'adapted to strike each contact twice before engaging with the other of said contacts.

3. A car heating system according to claim l, wherein said lever actuator is in the form of a pair of electrically operated opening` and closing means and a thermostatically controlled switch alternately closing two circuits through said opening means and two circuits through said closing means whereby each of said means receives two successive impulses in one direction, the second'of which ensures the proper position- Ving of said lever so that its momentum will be effective upon its receiving an impulse in an opposite direction.

a. In a car heating system of the type described, in claim ll, a pair of electrically operated opening and closing means therefor, athermostatically controlled switch semi-alternately closing two circuits through said opening means and two circuits through said closing means whereby each of said means receives two successive impulses, said switch having reciprocating movement and adapted to electric operation in one direction only, and damping .means timing the interval between such successive impulses.

In testimony whereof I afX my signature.

.FRANK sUNDAY. 

